


Night Changes (Love is an Open Window)

by andythestan



Category: Aespa (Band)
Genre: Eventual Romance, F/F, Fluff, Mutual Pining, Romance, Slice of Life, its quite long you guys
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-31
Updated: 2020-12-31
Packaged: 2021-03-10 17:22:52
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,978
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28440849
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/andythestan/pseuds/andythestan
Summary: Kim Minjeong constantly leaves her bedroom window open.Originally posted on twitter.
Relationships: Kim Minjeong | Winter/Yoo Jimin | Karina
Comments: 4
Kudos: 54





	Night Changes (Love is an Open Window)

"…Minjeong would certainly like that."

It was the last words she heard before she ascends to her bedroom. It was a Friday night, and instead of going to a party like the other kids her age, Kim Minjeong had to sit down to diner with her parents and the chosen boy for tonight. It was a weekly occurrence that Minjeong dreaded, and it always had her up in her room thirty minutes into the whole thing. Her parents never chased after her, and they didn't want to embarrass themselves in front of the guest. 

Finally, in the comfort of her bedroom, Minjeong strips off the dress and slips into some pajamas and a grey hoodie. Minjeong glances out the window, and the evening looked so peaceful, the moonlight blanketing down on the empty streets. She does what she usually does when dinner was too much and slides her window open. 

She steps out and takes in the serenity of the night, carefully skidding down her roof and lunging a step forward to the greenhouse that was way too close to her house. Her parents didn't want it moved anymore as that would cause more money and time, so they just left it as it is, and even installed solar panels on it and a ladder on the side so repairs would be made easy; impossible for your daughter to escape, right?

Once her feet touched the ground, Minjeong carefully makes her way to their back fence, shivering slightly at the cold are and being wary of the wet grass around their pool, she flips open the latch to swing the fence door open. Why her parents had that, Minjeong wanted to know, too, but hey, it's useful on nights like this. She makes her way down the street, not having any fear since their neighborhood was the prissy type, and takes a deep breath. Seeing the two-story houses similar to hers under the moonlight gave her a sense of calm, and she liked that. 

When she turns the corner of her residence, she sees a figure under the shadow of a tree. It was that oak tree that her parents could never get rid of, no matter how much money they poured in, so they had to deal with it. There was smoke puffing into the air, and when Minjeong was close enough to see, she was surprised to find that it was an outline of a girl. 

The said girl seems to see her from the corner of her eye, lowers her cigarette, and motions her to come forward. Whatever spell she had cast in the motion of two fingers worked, and Minjeong finds herself only three steps away from her. 

"Want one?" The slender fingers offer her the white roll. 

She shakes her head; a sense of fear started to build up in her chest. At their proximities, Minjeong could be effortlessly snatched up. 

"Why not? It's organic." A deep voice insists, and Minjeong shakes her head again.

"I don't smoke," Minjeong mumbles out. "You shouldn't be smoking in public."

"So you're playing police with me now?" the girl chuckles and steps out into the moonlight. 

For a moment, Minjeong was star struck, or maybe it was just the moon's effect. The girl was taller than her, by an inch or so, and her face was…uniquely beautiful. She had a small face that housed those big and dark eyes, a cute nose, and her heart lips. Minjeong was frozen on the spot, and her eyes were seemingly attracted to the freckle on her small jaw.

"What's your name?" 

Minjeong jumps back, realizing how close their faces have become. She quickly turns to the side, trying to ignore how fast her heart was beating. 

"Not gonna talk, huh?" There was disappointment dripping from her tone, followed by a sigh. "Alright then, I'm Jimin."

She looks back to see a small smile dancing on Jimin's lips, her fingers flicking away the cigarette. She then noticed the long dark hair that flowed down that flannel shirt she had on. Jimin was also only in shorts, and Minjeong wonders how she could do so on such a chilly night like this. 

"I…" Minjeong trails off, "I've never seen you around here before."

"What's it to you?" Her smile only widens, showing off those pearly white teeth. "You own this neighborhood or something?"

"No, but I know everyone around here." Minjeong starts to play with the hems of her hoodie. "I've been living here all my life, and I've never seen you around here before."

"Well, that's my secret to keep and yours to find out." A hand reaches to touch the tips of Minjeong's blonde hair. "I like your hair. Such a bold color, I never had the guts to do this."

"My mother doesn't like it." Minjeong replies, then lightly freezes. Why is she spilling out information to some random stranger in the night?

"Figures," Jimin chuckles again, "And I guess she doesn't like it if you just disappeared on her, right?"

As if on cue, Minjeong hears the faint screaming of her name, making her look back at her house. 

"Looks like that's my signal to leave." Jimin cups Minjeong's chin, turning it slowly to face her. Minjeong is forced to stare into those dark eyes for what felt like an eternity, but then Jimin lets go with a wink, making Minjeong's heart race again.

"I'll be seeing you around."

And she's off.

//////

Weekends. The holy days for suffering students. Perfect for sleeping in and grabbing that close-to-noon-shower. Well, that wasn't the case for Minjeong. Not with her mother trying to break down her door. 

"Kim Minjeong, I have been knocking on your door for ten minutes! You better be ready once you come out!" 

She groans into her pillow, feeling around for her phone somewhere on the bed. Once she had it in her hand, she faces it to her to unlock and groans deeper when it read 8:25 AM. Minjeong thought she could catch a break from her mother, especially how she narrowly escaped her wrath last night. 

Not wanting to anger the dragon any further, she shuffles to her bathroom for a quick shower. After that, she brushes her teeth and puts on whatever decent clothes she had and makes her way to her door that was still being consistently knocked on by her mother. 

"I'm ready, jeez!" Minjeong grumbles as she gave her mother a stern look, who also gives it back to her. 

"You should've been ready ages ago…and what's this?" Mrs. Kim gestures to her gray hoodie and jeans. "You are not walking out of this house wearing that!"

"Where are we going anyway?"

"To meet the new neighbors who moved across the street."

"Mom, seriously?" Minjeong runs a hand through her hair. "This isn't some of your fancy dinner of yours. It's going to be quick anyway."

"But you've got the lovely dresses in your closet-"Her mother attempts to push her aside.

"Dear, she looks fine." Mr. Kim lays a hand on his wife's shoulder, who sighs in defeat. 

"Alright." Mrs. Kim is about to walk off, but she stays to finger through Minjeong's blonde hair. "You had such gorgeous dark hair. I don't know why you kids do this." 

When she does walk-off, Minjeong turns to her father to mouth a quick thank you before they follow the lady of the house. Mrs. Kim taps her foot impatiently on the floor as they descend the stairs, and she hands Minjeong a glass container with foil covering the top. Minjeong already knew it was with the way her hands slightly burned on the glass, and it was solely reserved for new neighbors her mother wanted to impress.

The Kims step out of their house and walk across the street. Minjeong notices the house across has been renovated to look a tad bit newer. It was a simple two-story with cream walls and an orange roof to give it a modern touch, and there was a garage to its left with the car with its protective cloth over it and a motorcycle nearby. 

Once they reached the front porch, Mrs. Kim presses the doorbell a couple of times and steps back. There was a loud thud on the other side of the door, followed by different indistinguishable sounds, then the door opens. It was a man, who looked to be in his early twenties, and with the way he was still clad in a tank top and sleeping shorts, it is evident that his sleep has been interrupted.

Because of his visual and how abrupt the door opens, Minjeong's parents take a quick step back.

"Oh," The man was startled. "Sorry, I thought you were the movers. Can I help you?"

"We are the Kim's, and we live across the street." Mrs. Kim says with a bright smile, grabbing the glass container from Minjeong's hands, to which the blonde rolls her eyes. "We just wanted to welcome you to the neighborhood."

"Oh, okay." The man shuffles awkwardly, "Thanks? My name is Yoo Kihyun. Nice to meet you all."

Minjeong couldn't shake the feeling that she had seen his face before, the small jaw he had looked so familiar, along with those lips.

"Okay, Kihyun, this is for you." Mrs. Kim shoves the glass container to his chest. 

"Thanks, Mrs. Kim." Kihyun then looks around as if he's lost something, then turns his back on the family. "Jimin! Get down here. We've got some guests!"

At the call of her name, Minjeong tenses up. Ever since last night, she had been contemplating on whether the incident was real or not, the whole thing being dream-like to her. It was proven to be real right now when Jimin saunters her way to the door, still in the same clothes last night.

"Guys, this is my sister." Kihyun moves aside and gestures to the family. It was when Jimin steps forward to shake their hands, flashing Minjeong a knowing smile.

"Hey, I'm Jimin." A soft hand encases hers, and the blonde bravely locks eyes with Jimin. "And you are?"

"Kim Minjeong," She stutters out, squeezing a soft hand. 

Jimin had caught her in another intense stare, and if it weren't for her mother's nagging voice, only the gods knew how long they would've kept staring.

"Well, I guess that's how far introductions go." A hand creeps onto her shoulder while the hand on her grasp pulls away. "We'll be seeing you around!"

The Kims turn back to their house, but Minjeong couldn't shake the feeling that she was being watched. 

"Kihyun seems alright, but Jimin, not so much," Her mother starts once they were back in their house. "Minjeong, you better stay away from her."

/////

"Did you hear about the new girl in Aeri-unnie's class?" Ningning whispers in her ear. 

It was a Tuesday, and it was their last period before lunch, and since the teacher was running a bit late, the classroom was still in its laid back state.

"There's a transferee in the middle of the semester?"

"Yeah, and apparently, she's drop-dead gorgeous!" Ningning whispers excitedly, her fingers drumming hard on the desk. "People have been all over her since yesterday!"

"Hmm, it's just a fresh, pretty face," Minjeong says while taking out her notebooks. "They'd get bored of her eventually."

"Oh, I don't think so," the younger girl flicks Minjeong's shoulder lightly. "I bet you won't once you see her."

Their conversation was cut short when their teacher groggily walks in. Time always flies fast with Mr. Jung, and before they knew it, the bell was ringing for lunch. The students immediately back up and leave the room, completely ignoring the assignment Mr. Jung was scribbling on the board. Ningning finds her arm a few moments later, and together they walk out into the hallways full of students.

"Hey, don't move!"

The girls see a hand waving amidst the swarm of students that never seemed to end. Upon recognizing the flower tattoo on their wrist, they stay behind and watch as Aeri comes over, dragging somebody behind her. 

"Girls, this is my new classmate, Yoo Jimin. "Aeri was practically jumping with Jimin's hand in hers. "Jimin, this is Ning Yizhuo and…"

"Kim Minjeong," Jimin finishes with a smirk. "Fancy seeing you here."

"You know each other?" Aeri stands back in disbelief. 

"I just met her," Minjeong explains nonchalantly, lightly ducking down to avoid the intense gaze. "She moved in across my house."

Her answer had Ningning swatting her bottom, and she had to hold down on to it from behind when it was getting painful."

"Well, this is great!" Aeri pulls them by the neck for a group huddle, which was quite awkward with the way everybody leaned down. "I'm having a party at Renjun's place, in honor of Yoo Jimin's presence."

Minjeong rolls her eyes, making Aeri step down on her foot. "You better be there, Kim Minjeong!"

"You know that's not going to happen," Minjeong whined, stomping her feet on the floor. 

"That's why it's going to happen on a Thursday night. So you've got no excuses this time."

Minjeong sighs, pulling away from the huddle. "I'll see if I can make it."

"Good girl, Minjeongie." Aeri coos down at the blonde. "I'll be expecting you both!"

Now that the hallways were less crowded, the younger girls watch as the older pair leave, not missing how Jimin turns back to shoot Minjeong a wink. The blonde starts to feel a blush on her face, and Ningning does not let her get away with it.

"She looks like she's into you!" Ningning goes back to her bottom-swatting. "You never told me that she was your neighbor!"

When Thursday came, Minjeong doesn't go home and instead tags along with Ningning. She didn't need a change since she already showed up to school with her leather jacket, skinny jeans, and boots. It takes them a little longer to leave, with Ningning busy with her makeup. In no time, they were outside Huang Renjun's house. His front lawn was still all nice and clean, telling Minjeong that the party was cooped inside. 

She has been to Aeri's parties a couple of times, but it doesn't fail to surprise her to see all the commotion inside. There were boys playing beer pong at one side of the room, a few broken vases swept to the corner, and they recognize their seniors, Lisa and Seulgi, gossiping with Irene and Jennie on the couches. Minjeong wasn't surprised by that; Renjun was quite famous with their female seniors. Speaking of Renjun, he was sitting on a circular couch in the middle of the room, his arm wrapped around Aeri's waist. 

"Oh, they're here!" Aeri gestures them to come closer, also to the boys beside her to fetch drinks. "Sit, sit! Quite late, aren't we?"

"Ning Yizhuo over here spent a good hour trying to look perfect."

"Hey!"

The moment Minjeong and Ningning take their seat, cups of dark liquid were handed to them. To Minjeong's horror, Ningning swallows the whole thing in a single gulp. A single whiff of the drink and Minjeong already decided that it was a no for her. She scans the room, the party was a little quieter compared to the last one she's been invited to, and that's when she sees Jimin all cuddled up in the corner with Lee Taeyong. 

Minjeong looks away and focuses on the scene in front of her, Lucas and Ten were busy trying to stack cards into a pyramid, and the audience just laughs at them. She sits there for a good hour or so, slowly tracing her finger over the rim of her glass. Suddenly, she feels a hand on her thigh.

"Does mommy and daddy know you're here?" Her deep voice was teasing, and it had Minjeong facing her way. 

Her neighbor was still in a flannel, just in a red one this time, and she also had a drink in her hands. Minjeong resists the urge to keep her gaze on those cherry red lips, keeping them fixated on the dimple forming on Jimin's cheek instead.

"They don't." 

"Want to go somewhere else?" Jimin asks, her hand snaking over Minjeong's wrist. 

"To where?"

"Balcony, it's empty there." 

Minjeong didn't know what possessed her to follow the older girl, but she does anyway, and they wordlessly go up the steps. Jimin pushes the balcony door open, allowing Minjeong to pass through first. Minjeong takes the right side while Jimin takes the left side, putting her cup on the flat rails as she pulls her cigarette box out of her pocket. 

"Do you mind?" Jimin asks, the white roll already on her lips as she held a lighter up. 

"Knock yourself out," Minjeong replies, looking off into the quiet neighborhood. As long as Jimin was at a safe distance from her, it was fine. 

"You're not the party type, huh?" Jimin puffs some up in the air, easily blown away by the evening breeze. She chuckles and faces Minjeong. "You looked like a lost puppy in there."

"Nope, I've only been to a few." The blond runs her hands over the rails. "With a mother like mine, it won't get you places."

"Bummer." 

They stay in another wave of silence, and when Minjeong shivered as the cold hair touches her face, Jimin decides to go after finishing up her cigarette. When they do, the party had died down to the boys chilling on the circular sofa. There were new faces, Haechan, Taeil, and Johnny. Haechan sees them approach and opens his arms wide. 

"Minjeongie, you're here!"

The girl by Jimin's side stiffens up, but she approaches him anyway. Jimin, not wanting to leave Minjeong alone with boys, takes a seat across the pair. 

"Did Mama Kim finally let you out?" Haechan asks, trailing a hand down Minjeong's jaw. 

"No. Please don't tell my parents." The blonde pleads, and it makes Haechan smile.

"Don't worry, nothing from tonight is coming out tomorrow." Haechan then reaches over and pours a foreign liquid into the cup.

"Here, drink."

Minjeong doesn't have the time to deny, as the cup was already tilted back, and the burning liquid is down her throat. She lets out a warm exhale and winces back, missing the look of disapproval on Jimin's face. 

When Minjeong was already four glasses into her drunken state, Jimin couldn't bear to watch any longer. She decides to take Minjeong and go; Aeri and Ningning were nowhere in sight, and Haechan had his arms around another girl. Jimin was surprised the girl was light as a feather, and she hailed them a cab with no problems. 

The cab ride was short, but to Jimin, it felt like infinity. Minjeong in her giggling mess has proven to be a handful for her, mainly because their arms were locked too tight, and Minjeong was tracing silly patterns on her face. Thankfully, they made it to the Kim's residence. The only problem now was to get Minjeong in her house without her parents knowing. 

Jimin sighed heavily at the white house and proceeded to walk Minjeong to the back. An idea suddenly pops into her head, and she has the blonde shaken up in her arms.

"Mingjeong, Minjeong-ah," She pats lightly on the blonde's rosy cheek. "How did you get down here last time? Come on, tell me!"

"F-Fence," Minjeong replies breathily, but then suddenly comes alive. "FANCY YOU!"

Jimin resists the urge to laugh at her poor dancing and goes to flip open the lock. All it took was a single flick of her cigarette because it was the only thing thin enough to get through it. They make their way through the slippery glass, almost slipping every other step; Minjeong's weight and her loud mouth made the whole thing more of a hassle.

And just like that, Jimin didn't know how, but Minjeong is already on her bed, snoring lightly. Don't get her wrong, having to be close to Minjeong, so she doesn't fall off the ladder was tricky, and having her make a small jump across roofs was also another challenge. But it didn't matter now because Minjeong was safe in her bed. 

Jimin leans down to ghost her along Minjeong's cheek, the latter spewing out unintelligible words before she makes her exit. 

"Good night, Minjeong-ah."

//////

Minjeong has never been a nagger; she saw what her mother has become and refuses to be like her. But she couldn't help but do so to Ningning one day, who was innocently chowing down on her pizza. 

"Ningning, I swear to the heavens, just tell me who brought me home that night or so help me."

"I told you, I have no idea who it was!" 

Minjeong sinks into her chair. She has to admit that she has no memories of the party a week prior, and Minjeong was horrified to know that she was back in her house in one piece. Minjeong needed to know who it was so she could say thank you, but she also wanted to know why Yoo Jimin has been staring at her so shamelessly for the entire week. 

Could it have been Jimin? No, impossible.

It still doesn't relieve her any less of Jimin's staring. It didn't matter if they were at the same table eating lunch, or when they were in Ningning's house the day before, she even does it when she was practicing with her dance group where Minjeong visits to cheer on Ningning, and she's doing it…right now.

Minjeong jumps back, a hand over her chest as her breathing tries to settle down. It was Jimin, staring at her from her window, which was wide open. 

"What are you doing here? You scared me!"

"Oh, I scare you?" Jimin scoffs with a smile. "You leave your window open all the time. How does that not scare you?"

Minjeong leans back on her seat with a sigh, putting away the textbook she was studying. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to see you," Jimin says, walking over to Minjeong, who was on her desk. "I haven't seen you in a while."

This was true, seeing that final exams were coming up and Minjeong hasn't seen Jimin around lately. Not at lunch with Ningning and Aeri, and around the corner when she takes her evening walks. There was also an interschool dance competition coming up, and Jimin was one of their school representatives.

"Now you have," Minjeong retorts. "And how'd you get up here, anyway?"

"A little somebody told me when I was carrying her drunk ass home." Jimin laughs, plopping down on Minjeong's bed. "And I don't know, and I assumed you always leave your window open."

"Wait, you were the one who dropped me off?" Minjeong asks in disbelief. 

"Carried you up the window, too." Jimin agrees, then wiggles both her arms. "I almost broke these."

"How come you never told me?" The blonde fumed. "You just sat there and kept quiet the whole time!"

"Because," Jimin reasons with a smirk. "It was cute to watch you go around asking people." 

Minjeong huffs in embarrassment, only Ningning and Aeri have seen her totally wasted, and their comments about her were far from flattering. She glances at the girl on her bed, who had busied herself looking around the room. Her room was nothing fancy and rather dull as everything was just white, exactly how her mother wanted. 

"What are you doing here, exactly?"

"I already told you, I haven't seen you in a while, so here I am," was Jimin's blatant reply.

"But we're not…friends, you know."

There was an awkward silence, and Minjeong she should've kept her mouth shut. She finds that Jimin was giving her another of her stares, and the face she was making was unreadable. 

"We aren't?" 

Her tone makes Minjeong rub her hands uncomfortably, but she is taken by surprise when Jimin suddenly lunges forward, pulling her by the wrist to stand up. Minjeong's heart hammers in her chest, seeing how close her face was to Jimin's, and she unconsciously holds her breath. 

"We can be friends now," Jimin's lips break into a small smile. "I'd like to know you more, Kim Minjeong."

Minjeong still couldn't react and just allows Jimin to drag her to her bed. Jimin sits cross-legged in front of her, her stupid smile on her face and her hold still on Minjeong's wrist. It takes a little longer for her to snap out of it, and when she does, Minjeong feels blood rushing up to her cheeks. 

"W-What do you want to know?" She stammers out, starting to feel the tingles dancing on where Jimin held her.

"Everything," Jimin answers simply. "Everything single thing about you."

They started with the basics: birthday, favorite color, food and drink, dreams, and aspirations. Minjeong eventually spilled about her mother, how she wanted a perfect life for her daughter. A big house, a nice husband, and perfect children, and her mother setting her up with a guy through dinner was what Minjeong had to go through every Friday night, hindering her from going out with her friends.

"Mom's latest pick is Haechan, and he's doing an excellent job at putting up a front to please her."

Jimin was unexpectedly a good listener, and they ended up talking throughout the night. Minjeong had to remember to keep their voices down, even going as far to cover Jimin's mouth when she laughed too hard. They didn't want the senior Kim's coming through the door. When the clock struck twelve, Minjeong thinks it was time to let Jimin go. 

"I can stay longer," Jimin insists, trying to plant herself deeper into Minjeong's bed. "I live across the street!"

"I'd like for you to stay longer," Minjeong admits shyly. "But I'm about to pass out."

Jimin frowns but gets up anyway. Before she's entirely out of Minjeong's window, she turns back and gives her a warm smile, making Minjeong's heart reach for the stars. 

"Thanks for tonight. I'll see you tomorrow."

And she's gone. 

And it was a Sunday tomorrow.

/////

True to her word, Jimin returns the following night, then the next, and the next. It became a thing between them, and Minjeong hates to admit that she looked forward to seeing her neighbor popping through her window, making her leave it unlocked most of the time. It was crazy how the night changes with Jimin. Some days, they'd sit and gossip, and some were for movie nights with Jimin bringing over some snacks. 

It was as if something that one night triggered a sense of connection between them, and it certainly did not pass their friends at school. Every time they were together, Aeri would shoot a knowing glance their way, and Ningning would often tease them about how much they held on to each other. It also made the youngest of the group a tad bit jealous.

"Should I be worried about Jimin-unnie stealing you away from me?"

"What?" Minjeong snorts. "No one is stealing me away from you, Ning Yizhuo!"

"Hmm, but you're always spending time with her nowadays," Ningning pouts, then smirks. "You like each other, don't you?"

The blonde chokes on her saliva and sends her friend a flabbergasted expression. "What?'

"Oooh," Ningning teased, "Weren't planning on telling us just yet, huh?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Minjeong tries to wave the younger girl off.

"Oh? Then maybe you just haven't admitted your feelings to yourself yet."

Will she? Are those feelings the butterflies in her stomach whenever Jimin pats her thigh from under the table during lunch? Or the way her heart beats like a bass drum when Jimin lets lean her head on her shoulder during a movie? Or is it the feeling of complete bliss when they walk down the moonlit street hand in hand?

Oh god, Minjeong swallows down hard. Am I falling for Yoo Jimin?

To be fair, it wasn't hard to love to girl when you get to know her. Jimin turned out to be such a sweetheart, and Minjeong could not get enough of her. Aside from appreciating her goddess-like features, Minjeong also loved the little things about her. The nose scrunches and the dimple on her cheek, the gentleness in her touch, the late-night talks of their insecurities, the way Jimin would throw her flannel over Minjeong's shoulders when their walks in the night were a little chilly.

Whatever it was, Minjeong knew she had to keep it to herself. Whatever this was with Jimin, it made her so happy, and it would just crush her if it were taken away.

////////

A million thoughts continued to run in her head, making Jimin look at her in worry. 

"Hey, you okay?" She nudges the blonde on the shoulder, who shakes her head in response. 

"I'm good, just thinking about things."

They were out by the oak tree again. It was a Wednesday, so it meant no dinner with a guy, and Minjeong just wanted to go out on a walk. After their little circle of the neighborhood, they find the oak tree an excellent spot to rest. 

"Wanna talk about it?" Jimin asks, voice laced with concern.

"Um, no." Minjeong kicks on the lone pebble on the sidewalk. "But I do have a question."

"Alright, shoot."

"Do you believe that you could find love?" 

The question catches Jimin's breath, making her blink a few times before answering.

"Is this because of your mother's arranged dinner dates?"

"I guess so?" Minjeong replies unsurely. "It makes me wonder, you know."

"Oh, right."

The blonde shuffles in her spot before the next words spill out of her mouth. "H-have you found it?"

"Found what?" Jimin looks at her, slightly confused. 

"Love," Minjeong says more firmly. "Have you found it?"

"And if I said yes?" Jimin's tone was light, as if those words have wanted to come out for so long. It leaves a tiny crack in Minjeong's heart.

"Then, I'll be happy for you."

/////

Friday dinners usually went down one way only, stay for thirty minutes then disappear upstairs to her bedroom. But tonight, it wasn't the case. Minjeong had been forced to sit through dinner with another boy named Kun while wearing a wine-colored skater dress she did not think was necessary. She had attempted her escape earlier on, but her mother pulls her back down to stay. 

She gives her father a glance, who only returns it with a look of sympathy. It was boring, and the conversation was fabricated with fake laughs and shallow compliments; Minjeong couldn't take it anymore. One thing led to another, dinner was cut short, and Kun had to leave earlier than expected. While Mrs. Kim retires to her room in disappointment, Minjeong returns to hers with hot tears spilling down her face. 

Without giving a second thought, she dials Jimin's number, and the call is picked up after the third ring.

"Hey, how'd it go?"

"I need you," Minjeong sniffles out while trying to rub away her tears. 

The call ends abruptly, and in less than five minutes, Jimin makes an appearance on her window. The glass is pushed aside, and arms wrap around Minjeong's body. The older girl caresses her hair as she tries to hush her sobs. 

"Minjeong-ah, tell me what's wrong." Jimin pulls away and tries to wipe off the tears that spilled. "You're okay; I'm right here."

"I-It's mom, she's so—she's so," Minjeong never finishes her sentence, and it was enough for Jimin to know that it wasn't the right time for it yet. 

Jimin leads them to sit on the foot of the bed, where she holds Minjeong's head to her chest, rubbing her back softly. Minjeong calms down to the beat of Jimin's heart, though it was still fast from the adrenaline of running over. She has never been held to close to Jimin before, taking in the smell of the laundry detergent off Jimin's flannel, and the realization has her heart beating fast. She hopes Jimin couldn't feel it. 

"You want to get out of here, Minjeong-ah?" 

Minjeong meets Jimin's face properly for the first time tonight, but whenever she does, everything around her slips away every single time she does. Everything her mother has ever dreamed of for her perfect daughter disappears every time Minjeong sees that gorgeous face. 

"Yes." 

They quietly make their escape, quickly turning around the corner to Jimin's house. Minjeong expects Jimin to drag her in, but they detour to the garage. The older girl pulls off the car's cloth, revealing a baby blue Austin-Healey with its roof pulled back. Her mouth hangs open, and Jimin smiles proudly.

"Beautiful, right? Hop in."

Once they were buckled in, Jimin drives them at a slow pace. When they were finally out of their neighborhood, Jimin doesn't hesitate to step on the gas. They were driving too fast, but Minjeong was too distracted by the moonlight breaking through Jimin's midnight blue hair. She remembers as if it were yesterday when she helped the older girl dye it. The remainder of it was used to dye the tips of her own, something Mrs. Kim was furious about, furious enough to bring up during dinner a while ago. 

Her attention is brought back when a hand rests over hers. Jimin keeps her eyes on the road to avoid her heart from beating any faster, and weirdly enough, she doesn't want it to stop. They end up in a place unfamiliar to Minjeong. There were tall trees, and it was no longer a cemented road they were on, just flat dirt. The car comes to a stop in a cleared area. Minjeong later notices that it was a cliff overlooking their small neighborhood. 

Jimin helps her out of the car and guides her to sit on the hood. They sit in a long yet comforting silence, only drinking in the quiet of the night. The girls didn't know why, but simply being there for each other was comfort enough. It wasn't Minjeong starts to shiver beside her that Jimin mentally slaps herself. The poor girl was only in that sleeveless dress and was probably cold the whole way. 

She takes off her flannel and puts it over Minjeong's shoulder, who smiles at her appreciatively. Unknown to the older girl, Minjeong's throat runs dry. Yoo Jimin was always something else under the moonlight. 

Jimin reaches into her pocket for a cigarette, holding it with her lips so she can reach to her other pocket for the lighter. But she seems to catch up onto Minjeong's staring, and it was suddenly making her self-conscious, so she hides behind her hand with a chuckle.

"What are you looking at, huh?" 

"I thought you stopped that," Minjeong says, feeling concerned enough. "You still need your lungs to dance, you know?"

Jimin doesn't reach for the lighter anymore and takes the cigarette to put back in the box. "You're right. And you hate it when I do it."

She shifts closer to Minjeong and wraps an arm around her while keeping her gaze at the scenery in front of them. The younger girl only snuggles closer, resting her head on Jimin, who was now rubbing her thumb over her shoulder. 

"I never got to ask," Jimin says tightly, "But have you found love, as well?"

"I'd like to say I have," Minjeong answers softly. "If not, then I can still hope."

It was the first time Minjeong has ever admitted it to herself, and she would be lying if she said it didn't scare her. 

She feels a hand under her chin, and in a second, Jimin is looking right at her. As Jimin leans closer and closer to her face, Minjeong can't help but shut her eyes. Her head pulsated with her heartbeat, and her hand tightens on the flannel's sleeves. She waits for something she thought was impossible, and to her disappointment, it never comes. 

Her eyes are back open when Jimin pulls away completely, quickly stepping into the passenger seat. 

"Come, it's getting late."

Jimin didn't hold her hand on the way back, and the whole car ride had tension Minjeong didn't like and couldn't explain. How naïve of her to think that Jimin would reciprocate her feelings. But did that mean everything they've done together meant nothing, too?

In no time, they were at the back of the Kim's residence. Minjeong hesitantly gets out of the car, hoping that Jimin would say something, or at least hug her goodbye, but she just stays seated, waving her goodbye. 

"Take care, Minjeong-ah."

And she's off. 

It leaves Minjeong with a sour taste in her mouth, and her frustrations from earlier rise back to the surface. Hastily, she opens the back fence with a random stick on the ground and makes her way up her window. Her frustrations quickly evaporate once she steps into her room, greeted by her father sitting on her bed, facing her way. 

"D-Dad," Minjeong stutters on her words, trying to find the right ones to explain why she was dangling halfway into her window adequately. "I can explain."

"No need," Mr. Kim replies coolly, "Hurry inside before your mother catches you."

She does as told, and after locking up her window, she stands still in front of her father. 

"Did you have fun?"

Minjeong tilts her head in confusion. "Did I have fun?"

"Yes," Mr. Kim nods, his serious face breaking into a smile, "Did you?"

Minjeong lets out a shaky laugh and goes over to her father's side. "I did. I was with-"

"Yoo Jimin, our neighbor across the street," Mr. Kim proclaims loudly, sending Minjeong's face going pink.

"You're not mad?"

"No."

"Dad, I was talking about sneaking out," Minjeong giggles and nudged his side. 

"No to that, too." 

"Why?" Minjeong couldn't help but ask. She knew her father's patience with her ran way longer than her mother's, but she expected it to be cut short the moment she walked through her window. 

"You're still young, Minjeong," Mr. Kim explains with a heavy sigh. "You deserve to be running around and having fun, with whoever you prefer." 

The last part tints Minjeong's face into a darker pink, and it has Mr. Kim cooing at her lightly.

"All I'm trying to say is, and as difficult as it is, don't hold this against your mother. She only wants the best for you."

"I know," Minjeong grumbles and plays with the sleeves of the flannel. For a moment, she forgets it was still on her.

"So, where'd you run off with Jimin tonight?"

"You saw me go?"

"Heard you go, too," the older Kim throws his head back to laugh. "The both of you would make such horrible thieves."

Minjeong snorts and shakes her head, then falls silent as she pads the flannel with her fingers. 

"You like her, don't you?"

"I'm sorry, Dad," She faces her father with tears in her eyes, her voice quivering. "It just--I like her so much, and I don't know what to do! One minute she has me by her side, and the next, she wants nothing to do with me!"

"Hey, Minjeong," Mr. Kim was in a sort of panic. He was never the lovey-dovey type when it came to romance, and seeing his daughter that way just made him fluster at how he wasn't as experienced as he thought. 

"Have you confessed yet?"

The blonde shakes her head and buries her face into her hands. 

"Well then, why haven't you?"

"It's easier for you to say!" Minjeong only sobs harder, and Mr. Kim is left with rubbing her back for comfort. 

"You'll never know until you try." 

Mr. Kim takes Minjeong by the shoulders and forces her to look at him. "Let's get some sleep now, hmm? We can figure it out tomorrow." 

//////

After agreeing with her father to confess whenever she could, Minjeong does the exact opposite. Having been embarrassed by their last interaction, she ends up avoiding Yoo Jimin at all costs. She couldn't bring herself to look the girl in the eye, and even if she did, she didn't know how to confess her feelings in the way it felt right. The older girl always runs after her, but Jimin gets the message and decides it was best to leave Minjeong alone for a while. 

But it was suddenly announced that the school was having a letter-giving activity before the semester ends. Minjeong settles on that. She had already wasted four pieces of paper, trying to write the perfect message that didn't sound too desperate. On her seventh try, she decides to jot down the only thing at the top of her head. 

Let's eat tonkatsu! <3

Yes, what better way than to enjoy a little, not so obvious date at that tonkatsu place near the school. Minjeong swears it's not because she's craving it. She seals it into a blue envelope, taking note of the older girl's favorite color, and she quietly slips out of her classroom to drop it off at Jimin's locker. There was no way she was handing it in person, knowing Jimin would just tear it open on the spot. 

It wasn't hard to locate her locker, it was on the upper floor, and the lockers had their name on them. Minjeong was quite disappointed to see a small line forming in front of it but then takes it as a way for her not to be easily seen. When it was her turn, she slips the paper into the small slit and quickly runs back down to her classroom.

Minjeong makes a quick stop on her desk to fetch her bag, but a white card catches her attention. It had Jimin's name on it, a smiley face, and the words "for you."

The mixed feeling of excitement and fear lurches out of Minjeong as she picks it up and opens it. Her eyes trail over the words, and her heart falls to the ground. She scoffs and shoves the paper into her bag, then walks out. Unknown to her, Jimin was inside her classroom, watching her the whole time. The older girl is only confused by her reaction and attempts to run her, but is held back by Lisa. 

"Hey, Jimin-ssi, got time for pictures?"

/////

The blonde finds herself sulking on her bed, aimlessly scrolling on her phone. She tries to keep her mind off the possible reactions Jimin must've had with her letter, but when she sees the crumpled white one on the floor, it doesn't help.

With sharp knocks coming from her window, Minjeong's phone slips out of her grasp, and it lands square on her face. She groans and massages her forehead, sluggishly making her way to the window. It didn't surprise her that it was Jimin, but the wild expression she had did. 

"Yah, Minjeong-ah, why is it locked? What are you doing? Open it! Hey!"

The sharp knocking doesn't stop, and Minjeong feared that her mother would walk into her room. It wasn't like Jimin planned on leaving, anyway, so she opens the window begrudgingly.

"Jeez, thank you," Jimin exclaims when she finally steps inside the room. "I thought you never locked this? What's up with that?"

Minjeong doesn't respond, only crossing her arms and looking at her with a quirked eyebrow. 

"Are you mad at me? Is that it? You've been avoiding me for days!" Jimin flails her arms around, then her eyes land on the crumpled paper on the floor. "Is this what pissed you off earlier?"

When Minjeong looks away from her, Jimin sighs and picks up the paper. Deciding to look for whatever scared the girl into running away earlier, she opens it up and gives it a quick scan, which sends her soul flying in an instant. 

It was her handwriting, alright. 

To: Minjeong

Hey ;) I have known you for quite some time now, and you're a really cool person! I hope our senior-junior relationship will continue to flourish! See you next term!

"Ah," was all Jimin could utter while running a hand through her hair. 

She drops the paper and rushes to Minjeong's front, kneeling and resting her hands on the younger girl's lap.

"Minjeong-ah, please look at me." Jimin tries in a sweet voice, rubbing her hands on Minjeong's clothed lap. "As stupid as it sounds, that letter wasn't meant for you."

"Sure. It's not my name on that piece of paper." She winces back at Minjeong's harsh tone then drops her hands to her sides. 

"Believe me; it was an honest mistake." Jimin explains slowly, "I must've gotten your letter mixed up with Minhyuk-oppa's."

Minjeong finally spares Jimin a glance, doubts are running through her head, and Jimin must've read them with ease.

"You really think we're just some senior-junior duo?" Jimin asks her with an exasperated look. "We're more than that; you and I know that, and apparently, everybody else does, too."

"Then why'd you pull away at the cliff?"

Jimin visibly stiffens in front of Minjeong, making her heart sink deeper than ever. But Jimin was determined to get things over with, not wanting to prolong whatever the heck was going on between them. 

"I must've had you confused back there," Jimin chuckled nervously, but Minjeong was not having it. "The thing is, I chickened out that night. I got scared, and I'm sorry about that." 

"Why?" Minjeong puts her arms down and looks at Jimin, confused. Between them, it was her that was supposed to be scared. Minjeong's mother was still an obstacle. 

"Because you're you." Jimin fiddles with her fingers before motioning to the room around them. "I may or may not give you any of this, and I don't know, you're better off with a guy your mom thinks is right for you." 

"What makes you say that?" To be completely honest, Jimin was starting to get tired of Minjeong's questions, and she wanted nothing more than to end it. 

"I-I may not be a knight in shining armor," Jimin's shaking hands hold onto hers, making little tingles run up Minjeong's arms. "I'm certainly far from being the one you'll introduce to your mother, but I can be the one for you. Tonight, the next night, and the rest of your life…if you'd let me."

The night always seems to change with Jimin around, and Minjeong would rather it stay that way. Her face burned, and her heart threatened to burst out of her chest, and she still feels Jimin's hands quivering in hers. She couldn't tell if it was from the nervousness or the cold since she did leave the window open. 

"Did…Did you just propose to me?" Minjeong snorts out with a smile; the smile was so wide that Jimin could see her dimple. 

"If that's what it would take to still go on that tonkatsu date with me." Jimin retorts, slowly rising from the floor. "What do you say?"

The younger girl doesn't respond in words and allows her arms to go around Jimin's neck as she pulls her into their first kiss. The action doesn't register into Jimin's brain right away, but when it did, they end up toppling on Minjeong's bed. 

"Oh my god, I should've done this ages ago," Jimin mumbles against her lips before pressing them back on Minjeong's for another kiss.

Just for tonight, Minjeong decides to ignore the rest of the world. Ignoring the way her phone was getting crushed under her back, the way the cold night's air nips onto her skin, or the way the orange lights wash into her room and her mother screams out her name.


End file.
